Dr. Cornelius Abel
Former group member

Research projectNeuronal Encoding of Intrinsic Signals of the Inner Ear

Active mechanical amplification by sensory hair cells of the inner ear is an essential feature for sensitive perception of auditory signals. As a consequence of the nonlinear properties of this amplification process the waveform of acoustic stimuli is distorted pronouncedly and intrinsic cochlear sound signals are generated in the form of otoacoustic emissions.

Psychoacoustical investigations in humans show that intrinsic cochlear signals constitute an important part of the percept of multispectral stimuli. In my Ph.D project I want to investigate in an animal model how such byproducts of inner ear mechanics are resolved or filtered by neuronal processing stages in the forebrain.

By comparing responses from input stages of the auditory system with those in the auditory cortex, inferior colicullus and auditory thalamus, the specific neuronal processing of otoacoustic emissions will be defined.

2009, 2003

Abel, C. ; Wittekindt, A. ; Kössl, M. (2009):
Contralateral acoustic stimulation modulates low-frequency biasing of DPOAE - efferent influence on cochlear amplifier operating state?
J Neurophysiol 101 (5): 2362-2371.

Macias, S. ; Mora, E. C. ; Kössl, M. ; Abel, C. ; Foeller, E. (2009):
The auditory cortex of the bat Molossus molossus: Disproportionate search call frequency representation.
Hear Res 250 (1-2): 19-26.

Abel, C. ; Kössl, M. (2009):
Sensitive response to low-frequency cochlear distortion products in the auditory midbrain.
J Neurophysiol 101 (3): 1560-1574.

Wittekindt, A. ; Abel, C. ; Kössl, M. (2009):
Shifting the operating point of cochlear amplification? Impact of low frequency biasing and contralateral sound stimulation on DPOAE.
In: Cooper, N.P. and Kemp, D.T. (Eds.): Concepts and Challenges in the Biophysics of Hearing. World Scientific, Singapore, New Jersey, London, Hong Kong: 190-195

Abel, C. ; Wittekindt, A. ; Kössl, M. (2009):
Effects of contralateral noise stimulation and low frequency biasing on DPOAE? Changing the operating state of cochlear amplification?
Proceedings of the 8th Meeting of the German Neuroscience Society: T17-8A

Althen, H. ; Wittekindt, A. ; Abel, C. ; Gaese, B. ; Kössl, M. (2009):
Contralateral sound alters the f2-f1 distortion product otoacoustic emission - Frequency specificity and impact of primary tone level.
Proceedings of the 8th Meeting of the German Neuroscience Society: T17-4B.

Abel, C. ; Plassmann, W. ; Kössl, M. (2003):
Comparison of auditory threshold curves measured with autoacoustic emissions and evoked cochlear potentials in the gerbil.
In: Elsner, N. ; Zimmermann, H. (Hrsg.): The Neurosciences from Basic Research to Therapy. Proceedings of the 29th Göttingen Neurobiology Conference 2003. Stuttgart, Georg Thieme: 427.